Staying Connected When We Miss Church

God's Word is our spiritual food. It nourishes our faith and fills us with the Holy Spirit. It connects us to Jesus and strengthens us to live for him. God both invites and commands us to be devoted to his Word. When you can't attend church on Sunday,there's no to starve yourself of this spiritual food. Have an extended personal or family devotional time sometime that weekend. Sit down with your Bible before or after a meal, or put on a sermon from your smartphone while you're driving. Here are some resources to help you do that. Please don't hesitate to call Pastor West for advice or help planning family devotions.

If you want to follow our weekly readings...

You can see the day's Bible readings, hymn of the day, and prayer of the day at this website. You can also call, text, or email me and I will work with you to provide a personalized recommendation for your family devotions. I would actually be thrilled if you did that.

A Simple Pattern of Worship for Personal or Family Use

Begin in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Take a moment for personal, silent confession of sins, and have the head of household assure everyone that we are forgiven in Jesus' name. If there has been fighting or arguing, this is a good time to reconcile.

If you are comfortable singing together, sing a hymn you all know, or listen to a hymn on YouTube. Or if music is awkward for you, it's okay to skip this part.

Listen to a sermon above or read a section of the Bible. I recommend a sermon if you are not already following a regular Bible reading plan. On the other hand, vacation is a great time to start reading the Bible together as a family. When else will you have so much free time together?

If you're with your family, have the head of household as some basic questions such as, "Well, what did you take away from that?". Dads, don't leave it up to mom. Take the lead.

Pray. You can pray for your immediate needs, your family, our society, and our church. Check the most recent prayer list in our weekly church email for ideas. If with your family, have everyone contribute ideas of what to pray for. You can either take turns praying, or just have the head of household pray.